About

Back in July, students from Makara Model School had the chance to meet some Te Papa curators and get a ‘behind the scenes’ look at part of our Natural History collection store. This opportunity came about as part of Science Live: Expedition Snares Island that was broadcast earlier in the year. By asking our scientists a question… Read more »

Peek into wild landscapes. Hear Dame Suzie Moncrieff talk about the secrets behind the creative spectacle that is a World of WearableArt™ show. See Matariki performances from the stars of tomorrow. Te Papa’s Channel, launched this week, brings you into the heart of Te Papa’s multimedia collection. Now you can go behind the scenes at… Read more »

One designer, two authors, nine chapters, 28 library, archive and museum collections, and more than 300 illustrations: these are some of the ingredients that have gone into Holding on to Home: New Zealand Stories and Objects for the First World War which was launched by Te Papa Press last night. When the First World War began,… Read more »

Having trouble pronouncing kupu Māori? Many people are so afraid of giving it a go, they would much rather just give it a miss. Believe me I understand. There are words in other languages I avoid using for that very reason! For example, the scientific name for the manu below is Himantopus leucocephalus…?! Or try saying “superfluous”… Read more »

The novel The Luminaries is set in Hokitika in 1866 with most of the story taking place amongst a selection of businesses in Revell Street. The mystery is relayed, distorted and formed through different conservations and social interactions between the characters. However missing from the numerous businesses portrayed in the book is a photographic studio, and… Read more »

At 3pm on the 19th August 1839, a joint meeting of the Academie des Sciences and the Academie des Beaux-Arts, heard from the politician and scientist, François Arago, about the details of a process that produced unbelievably fine detail and extraordinarily subtle tonality. Louis Daguerre, who had been working on a light-sensitive process for about… Read more »

Kia ora koutou Last month I gave a talk at a TedX conference in Tauranga where I discussed some of the research I’ve undertaken as part of our exhibition development project here for an exhibition about Gallipoli (due to open April next year at Te Papa). I’ve been very busy assembling potential Māori content for that… Read more »

Dr Simon Nathan is an Honorary Research Associate at Te Papa. During his research towards a biography on James Hector, the founder of the Colonial Museum, he has delved into the household accounts of the Hector family, which are held in Te Papa’s Archive. In this guest blog post, he shares some of his findings on the the lifestyle of a… Read more »

Having trouble pronouncing kupu Māori? Here our next tip from kaiako Joan Costello. Tip 2 Split syllables after vowels and before consonants. Mo/ko/we/ri Dinosaur (mo, ko = Or we = There ri = Three) Mo/ko/hi/ku/roa Tyrannosaur (mo, ko = Or hi = Three ku = Two ro = Or a = Are) Remember to use Tip 1 ‘Are There Three Or Two’ This anga pōhatu is not a mokohikuroa, but… Read more »

Monday, 25 August, 6-7pm, Soundings Theatre, Te Papa In New Zealand, as elsewhere in the world, the debate is hotting up about how communities, and most specifically governments, should commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War. With millions being spent world-wide, the question is certainly being debated by many, with votes being passionately… Read more »